Wanted man who vowed not to surrender, shot dead by police

Jun 29, 2023 News

By Shervn Belgrave

Kaieteur News – A wanted man who had vowed that he will never surrender, was on Tuesday afternoon shot dead by police at Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara (ECD). Dead is William De Abreu, 26.

Shot dead, William De Abreu

Police had issued a wanted bulletin for him on May 27, in relation to a series of armed robberies on the East Coast. One day after the bulletin was issued, De Abreu during a televised interview with journalist, Travis Chase said: “No I won’t turn me self in sir, Yuh Know why, because the father put me on this earth for a purpose and when he ready fuh me, he gon take me, no human flesh nah gon tek me life. That is what they wanna do and I bet they would neva do it. Dem would try, but it would never happen,” De Abreu had said.

A month later, he lost his bet, when he was killed by police during an alleged confrontation. According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), East Coast police ranks hunted him down after receiving information that he was seen at Bachelor’s Adventure. The GPF alleged that upon seeing ranks, De Abreu pulled out a gun from his pants waist and shot at them several times. “Ranks took cover and discharged several rounds in his direction. He subsequently fell to the ground where one .32 Taurus Pistol and a magazine containing 3 live rounds were recovered from his hand,” stated the Guyana Police Force.

De Abreu reportedly died at the scene. A cell phone recorded video showed the police ranks fetching a badly wounded De Abreu and placing him into police pick-up. Persons could be heard cursing the police ranks in the background and making claims that they (the ranks) walked up to De Abreu shot him again while he was lying on the ground already wounded from the alleged confrontation. Police confirmed that the wanted man died around 17:50 hrs while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital and said that he was shot three times, once to the chest and twice to his feet.

The weapon reportedly found on De Abreu after a shootout with police ranks

A month prior to his killing, De Abreu claimed that he was a victim of police brutality and had accused the force of threatening to shoot him and then planting a weapon to make it look like he had confronted them. According to De Abreu, the threat came after he was freed earlier this year from a series of robbery charges he faced in courts. “Since them shoot me and I win me case, them said to me that any dark corner dem see me, dem gon shoot me and plant a gun pon me”, De Abreu had told Chase in the interview. This is not the first time that De Abreu had been shot during an alleged confrontation with police.

In 2021 police were investigating a set of armed robberies and had reportedly spotted him at Church Road, Bachelor’s Adventure. Ranks had alleged then that he was driving a car when they attempted to intercept him. De Abreu, they claimed, crashed his car into their patrol pick-up, exited and reportedly opened fire on them. De Abreu was hit but still managed to evade them. He was later arrested, however, while receiving treatment for a gunshot wound at a Private Hospital. De Abreu was charged and remanded to prison. He was later released after the cases against were reportedly dismissed.

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Bachelor’s Adventure, confrontation, police ranks, shot dead, William De Abreu

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